Means for forming forked heads on metal bars



A. METCALF 1,899,288

Feb. 28, 1933.

MEANS FOR FORMING FORKED amps on METAL BARS Filed Sept. 19, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY.

Feb. 28, 1933. A; METCALF 1,899,288

MEANS FOR FORMING FORKED HEADS 0N METAL BARS Filed Sept. 19, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 mwszvroza.

A TTORNEY.

A. METCALF Feb. 28, 1933.

MEANS FOR FORMING FORKED HEADS ON METALBARS Filed Sept. 19, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 m. w ml \w gm I N V EN TOR. 472 %ez%a4 A TTORNEY.

Feb. 28, 1933. A MMMMM LF 1,899,288

(5- FORKED HEAD E BAR INVENTOR. BY M1 fiezm/f A form a; forked head. 7

Patented Feb. 28, 193 3v ABRAM METCALF, OF HAMMOND, INDIANA mmnsroa ronmmeronxnn HEADSFON METAL BARs Application filed Se ptember 19, 1929/ Serial No. 393,738."

' The invention relates to methods and means of forming forked'heads on metalbars, such as the heads of coupling rods for railroad air brakes, andhas for itsyobject to provide a simple method of splitting and reshaping the end of a metal bar, by the use of,

a forging machine provided with suitably impressed dies and cooperating plungers, to

Aiurther object is to this character in which the end ofa metal 'Figure2is a-top planview bar is upset, thence split, and thence spread, said operations being performed in a forg ing machine.

further object is to provide a method of this character employing a forging machine to upset, split and spread the endof a metal bar, and in. which the transverse pressure produced incident to saidxoperations forces the metal into dieimpressions whereby the desired cross sectional configuration of head isalso produced by said operationsand without additional means. i I v i A' further object is to provide a method of character in which a forked head isin- I tegrally formed on a metal bar to eliminate welding operations, and in which the metal bar isc simply reshaped, all sawing, cutting, or other metal wasting operations being eliminated.

A further object iSE'tO'DlOVlClG a device adapted to form a; forked head on a metal bar by the aforementionedmethod, 7 With the above and other the invention'resides in the'combinationand arrangement of partsas hereinafter set forth, shown 3 in the drawings, -described and claimed, it beingunderstood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention mav be made within the scope-of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention. s

Inthe drawingsz v,

' Figure 1 is a perspective view of the dies employed incarrying out theqmethod;

of one of the dies showing the die impressions. p

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the up-v setting plunger. i

provide a method of objects in view,

- ing tools or plungers Figure 4: is a perspective view of the edged splitting plunger.

Figure is a perspective view of the spreading plunger.

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view of the, dies showing the manner inwhich the plungers fit into their respective'cooperating die impressions.

Figures 7, 8, 9, 10", 11, 12 and 13 are views showing the metalbar and its'shape during the successive steps ofthe method Figure 7 showing the bar atlthe beginning of the operation; Figure 8 showingthe bar after having its ends upset; Figures 9 and 10 showing one end of the bar after being split and reshaped; and Figures 11, 12 and'13showing one end of the bar as spread and shaped I in final completed form.

Figure 1a is alongitudinal sectional view of the dies taken on line l ke-lit of Figure 2 and showing the mannerin which theup setting plunger cooperates with the die impression to upset the end of the bar. Y Figure 15: is a of the dies taken on and showing ting plunger cooperates line 1515"ofFig1ire 2 with the die impres- I sion to split the end of the bar.

"16 and l7-are fragmentary transverse sectional views of the dies showing the bar in the splitting impression of the dies, be.- fore and after the splitting operation, respectively.-

, Figures Figure 18 is a longitudinal sectional view of the dies taken on line 16- 16 of Figure ,2, I and showing the manner, in which the spreading plunger operates in its die impression to spread the arm of the bar.

Referring tothe drawings, the numeral'20 designates a pair of cooperating dies adapted for use 1n a conventlonal forg ng machine,

longitudinal sectional view the manner inwhich'the split-e one of said dies beingadaptedto be mounted in stationary position in sucha machine, and Y the other being adapted to be movably mount-. ed in'such a machine; Formed in the adjacent faces of the dies 20," in'cregistering co operating relationfare die impresions 21, 22, and 23, respectively, said die impression extending fromend to end of the dies; Head- 24,=25, and 26, are

with suitable adapted to cooperate with the die impressions 21, 22 and 23, respectively, and are provided shanks 24 25 and 26*, by means of which said plungers are adapted to be secured in operative position in the forging machine.

The first step in the method is to suitably heat a bar 30, or the end of it to be worked, to a suitable forging temperature. Then the heated bar is positioned upon the stationary die of the forging machine in die impression 21, a portion 27 of which is of the same dimension as the bar, and the movable die is brought into bearing contact with the stationary die. The upsetting plunger 24, whose head 28 is of the same shape and dimension as the working portion 29 of the die impression 21, is then forced lengthwise into the working portion of the die impression and exerts an endwise pressure upon the heated metal bar, which is firmly held in the die in desired position; and the bar is thus spread or upset to make it conform to the working portion 29 of the die impression and to form an upset end'31 on the bar, the length of said upset end31 being determined by the length of the portion of the bar protruding into the working portion 29 of the die impression. V

The upset end 31 having been formed, the bar 30 is removed from the die impression 21, andif the upset end of the bar is still at a forging heat it isthen disposed in die impression 22, but said bar must be heated again if it has been cooled by the first operation to a point where it may not be safely forged. The die impression 22 has a portion 32 of the same dimension as the bar 30 into which the unworked shank of the bar is placed, and the upset end 31 is positioned in the working portion 33 of the die impression 22 at the inner end thereof. The working portion 33 of the die impression 22 is provided with'a centrally disposed guide-way 34 at each side thereof, impression being-preferably rectangular, as best shown in Figure 6. -The plunger 25, which cooperates with the die impression 22, is provided with guide members 35 which have the same width and shape as, and which fit into, the guide-way 34: of the die impression; and extending between the guide members 35, but set back from the end thereof and positioned in the center thereof, is a relatively thin, edged, splitting blade 36. The depth of the working portion 33 of this die impression 22 is preferably less than the diameter of the upset end of the bar 30, and consequently, when the movable die is brought into bearing contact with the stationary die, the upset end 31 is slightly fiat tened, as shown in Figure 16. Then the plunger 25 is forced'lengthwise into the die impression and the blade 36 splits the upset end 31 of the bar, and also slightly spreads said working portion'33 of the die it, said spreading action setting up transverse forces in the metal, which force the metal of the upset head into the die impression, as shown in Figure 17, thus forming two arms or forks 37 of rectangular cross-section on the end of the bar 30, as shown in Figures 9 and 10. l

The forks 37 having been formed, the bar 30 is removed from the die impression 22 and must again be brought to forging heat, after which it is disposed in the die impression 23, which is provided with a bar shank receiving portion 38 of the same dimension as the bar 30, and a working portion 39. The working portion 39 of the die impression 23 is formed of the shape it is desired to give the forked head of the bar when completed, and preferably, as

shown in Figures 1 and 6, its upper and bot.- tom faces are parallel, and the sides of the impression are slightly divergentfrom the top and bottom faces whereby the center of the impression is wider than the top and bottom faces, thus forming an impression hexagonal in cross-section. The plunger 26 cooperates with the working portion 39 of the die impression 23 and is provided with a head 40 whose outer end 41 is tapered to form a wedge, the thickness of the head 40 being determined by the spacing desired between the forks 37 of the bar 30. The centerof the plunger head 40 is of a width equal to the width of the center of the die impression, and the sides taper therefrom at the same angle as the sides of the die impression, thus forming guiding means to operatively hold the plunger, head in the placed in the working portion39 of the die Impression at the inner end thereof, and the plunger 26 is forced lengthwise into the die impression with its wedge shaped head 41inserted between the arms 37 of bar 30, thus causing it to spread the arms 37 to the desired spacing; and by the transverse pressureset up by the spreading action, forcing the metal of the arms into the die impression to give the desired cross-sectional configuration thereto. At the inner end of the head 40 of the plunger 26, and on each side thereof, are formedshoulders 42, which may becurved. as shown in Figure 5, and which are adapted to engage and press against the outer ends of the arms 37 at the end of the plunger stroke, whereby the ends of the arms may berounded, as shown in Figure 13. The forked end of the bar is then completely formed, as shown in Figures 11, 12 and 13.

7 It will thus be seen that a forked head is formed on a metal bar by the use in a forging machine of suitable dies and cooperating plungers to upset the end of the bar, split the upset. end to form arms, and tospread the arms; the transverse pressures created by said operations forcing the forked head of the bar to assume the shape of the die impressions. It will also be seen that each die impression must be formed so. that the free 'cross-sectiom al area thereof which the metal occupies is the same as that of the other die impressions.

It will be obvious that the steps of the process may be somewhat modified from those particularly set forth; for instance,the shape of the dies might be changed so that in only one, of. the operations is the head of the bar reformed or reshaped, the other of said Opera- 10 tions performing only their primary func-. tions; viz., upsetting, splitting or spreading. Also in some cases the reforming or reshaping might be entirely dispensed with, leaving only the primary functions of upsetting, I splitting, and spreading to be performed.

The particular shape and size of forks re- 7 quired may also eliminate the upsettingoperation, as Where only small forks are desired; I I or may eliminate the spreading operation when the forks are to be closely spaced, or may provide two or more plungers ;where more thantwo forks are desired, and the like. But in each modification the basic idea of splitting and reshaping the end of a bar to form a forked head by theme of dies and plungers is employed.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as newand useful is:

1. The combination witha die having a die 30, impression and guide ways extendingalong the opposite sides of said impression, of an I- shaped edge plunger operable in said die impression and guide ways, the center portion of said plunger forming the working element thereof and the side portions ofsaid plunger forming guide elements operable in said guide ways. y

2. The combination with a die having a die impression including aguide way extending longitudinally of said impression, of an edged plunger operating in said die impression, and a guide member carried by said plunger and a operable in said guideway withits inner face forming a complement of said impression, said plunger being adapted to longitudinally split and reshape a blank disposed in said die impression. 8 p

3. The combination with a die having a die impression including a guide way, of an edged plunger operating in said impression, and a guide member integral with said plunger and operable in said guide way, said plunger being adapted to simultaneously split a blank disposed in said die impression and to reshape said blank to conform withthe contour of said impression. I I 4. The combination with a die havin :a die impression and a guideway, anedged p unger operating in said die impression to act upon a blank disposed in said impression, and means o rable in said guide way to, guide said p ungerin said impression, said means formin a complement of said impression. I n testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ABRAM METCALF. 

